Folate occurs naturally in many foods, but it is very difficult to get all of the folate you need to prevent neural tube defects through your diet.

The foods that have the most folate include:

green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinich, salad greens

chickpeas

nuts

orange juice

some fruits

dried beans and peas.

You will also find that many types of bread, breakfast cereals and other packaged foods contain added folate. These are called folate-fortified foods.

Heating can destroy folate. If you are cooking any folate-rich vegetables it is best to microwave, stir-fry or steam them. Do not use any bicarbonate of soda when you are cooking folate-rich foods such as dried chickpeas or soybeans.